The northeastern Caribbean hub does not take its regional responsibility lightly.

"The airport is the first and last impression someone gets of the island, so we have to be at the forefront of the tourism and transportation development on the island and in the region," said Airport President Eugene Holiday.

"St. Maarten has three times the air traffic of even Curacao," said Michael Ferrier, the island commissioner who has airport affairs as one of his portfolios.

Brian Meade, station manager of Leeward Islands Air Transport, added that next to San Juan, Puerto Rico, the St. Maarten terminal is the busiest in the Caribbean.

Built by U.S. Marines in 1943, the airport's original purpose was to counter German submarine attacks on Allied petroleum ships. Today, the airport is used as a jumping point to other islands. The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau reports that except for 1999, airport traffic has increased every year since the devastating 1995 Hurricane Luis.

Deciding the time has come to expand and upgrade facilities to meet the growing demand of tourism and business arrivals, airport leadership approved an approximately $110-million plan. Phase one, to be completed by the end of this year, is already noticeable.

The arrival area was rebuilt in 1998 and the runway was resurfaced in 1997. By Dec. 15, 2000, the aircraft apron expansion, where large aircraft land and unload passengers, should be completed. By July 2000, a VIP lounge will be completed in the terminal to offer a higher level of service to passengers. The lounge will offer the same services and amenities as similar lounges in U.S. airports.

Phase two of the expansion calls for construction of a completely new terminal building and additional apron space that will significantly expand the area available to handle both aircraft and cargo. The $100-million project will accommodate four jet bridges as well as a new state-of-the-art radar facility.

"The new radar facility underscores the importance given to safety as it will ensure that the airport continues to provide safe and secure air traffic services," Holiday said. "As the level of traffic increases, the level of congestion increases." The radar upgrade will help the St. Maarten regional hub airport safely handle the increasing international as well as regional island carriers like Windward Islands Airways (WINAIR), BWIA and LIAT. Phase two construction will also double the size of aircraft parking and the passenger check-in area. The increased accommodation of the aircraft parking area is motivation for attracting additional airlift into the island.

Since 60 percent of St. Maarten incoming air traffic is from the United States, the airport president would also like to establish a U.S. pre-clearance area where U.S. customs gents can directly clear passengers to their U.S. destination. Rather than waiting in San Juan to pass through customs and recheck baggage, United States-bound passengers would clear customs before boarding in St. Maarten.

Phase three calls for a parallel taxiway that will enhance aircraft ground operations. Currently, planes that have just landed double back on the runway en route to the terminal, impeding takeoff and landing of other aircraft. Physical improvements are not the only area of improvement for the airport. The new taxiway will allow for much more efficient landing and takeoff operations, increasing capacity and efficiency of the airport.

"One strategy is to increase the amount of flights our current carriers have, to expand access into the island," said the airport president. The following U.S. carriers regularly or seasonally service the airport: American Airlines, Continental, U.S. Air, TWA and Northwest. Delta plans to establish itself in the fall of 2000. Principle European carriers at the airport are Air France, AOM and KLM. Air Guadeloupe, BWIA, LIAT and WINAIR are the main regional providers.

In addition to increasing current carrier arrivals, the airport wants to attract and develop relationships with new carriers. The plan is to target the European, Latin American and U.S. markets to create more airlift options.

More service will help reduce fares to St. Maarten, which will encourage tourists to look here for their next vacation. The increase in tourism will radiate throughout the island economy. Restaurants, car rentals, hotels, charter services, casinos and duty-free shops will all benefit from the foreseen plans.

As far as tourism development is concerned, the airport president noted, "A critical element in terms of tourism is having this spill over into hotel development. I believe this project, once completed, will add to investors' confidence in the island."